Water security threatened: Iraq’s Little Zab River drops to historic low
Shafaq News/ Water levels in the Little Zab River have dropped to record lows in several villages southwest of Kirkuk, raising concerns over the future of agriculture and water supply in the area, a local water authority source said on Sunday.
“This is the most significant decline in water levels seen in decades,” the source said. “It poses a serious threat to both irrigation and access to drinking water for local communities.”
The Little Zab originates in northwest Iran near Lake Urmia and flows into Iraq through Erbil province, eventually joining the Tigris River south of Mosul. The recent decline, the source explained, is due to a sharp reduction in upstream flow and below-average rainfall during the current season.
Environmental officials and residents fear the worsening situation could deepen the water crisis in northern Iraq, especially in rural areas where communities depend almost entirely on the river for both agricultural and domestic use.
